FOWIND Launches New Report on Grid Integration for Offshore Wind Farm Development in Gujarat and Tamil Nadu

Facilitating India’s transition towards low carbon economy by development of offshore wind power

NEW DELHI, 23 October – The FOWIND Consortium launched a new report today: “Grid Integration Study for Offshore Wind Farm Development in Gujarat and Tamil Nadu”. This DNV-GL led study is a significant step forward in preparing a roadmap for the offshore wind sector in India by the GWEC led FOWIND consortium.

The four-year project aims to put together a roadmap for developing a sustainable and commercially viable offshore wind industry in India. This report addresses the critical issue of how to prepare the state power systems to connect offshore wind projects in Gujarat and Tamil Nadu.

The report assesses the elements that are needed in the future design of offshore wind farms to ensure grid integration along with a preliminary evaluation of existing grid infrastructure across the two states. FOWIND is largely focused on early projects and the possibility for providing easy grid access without any significant need for upgrades for the regional or local grids. The study provides the first of its kind overview of the existing grid infrastructure in Gujarat and Tamil Nadu. The study was prepared in collaboration with the state utilities (GETCO and TANGEDCO) with a focus on integrating offshore wind.

India has the world’s 4th largest onshore wind market with a total installed capacity of over 32.6 GW. However, India does have an acute need for large-scale, clean and indigenous energy generation to fuel its rapidly growing economy.

Offshore wind power could play a very important role here due to the large wind resources available near centers of high-energy demand. Globally, offshore wind power is becoming increasingly cost-effective with installations close to 14.5 GW at the end of 2016.

“Offshore wind has taken dramatic steps forward in the past two years, particularly the major established market in Europe where tender prices have dropped by more than 50% in the last 18 months”, said Steve Sawyer, GWEC Secretary General. “It’s a rapidly maturing technology ready to go global and we expect India to be one of the major beneficiaries.”

“For the success of Renewables in general and Offshore Wind specifically it is important that it can be integrated into the grid. Otherwise curtailment will have a massive impact on the LCoE. A strong grid is the backbone of a high renewables generation future”, said Mathias Steck, Executive Vice President & Regional Manager Asia Pacific, DNV GL – Energy.

Grid integration of renewables and transfer of energy from the generation points to the load centers has a major role to play in fulfilling current Indian Government’s vision of self reliance in the energy sector. Addition and viability of ‘offshore MWs’ will further add to the pace of achieving those set targets”, said Balram Mehta, President Wind & Asset Management at ReNew Power.

This study forms the basis for upcoming offshore wind feasibility assessments being conducted by FOWIND, and gives a better understanding for companies and government institutions as to what is required for developing a successful offshore wind industry in India. The FOWIND consortium aims to complete the preliminary roadmap for offshore wind development in India in 2018.

The consortium led by Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) is implementing the Facilitating Offshore Wind in India (FOWIND) project. The consortium partners include the Centre for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP), DNV GL, the Gujarat Power Corporation Limited (GPCL) and the World Institute of Sustainable Energy (WISE). National Institute of Wind Energy (NIWE) joined the consortium as knowledge partner on 15 June 2015. FOWIND is and EU funded project with an overall objective to prepare a roadmap for offshore wind development in India.

Acknowledgement:

The FOWIND project is supported by a grant contribution through the European Union’s Indo-European Cooperation on Renewable Energy programme and grant contributions from the GPCL and RENEW Power. The project is being executed in close cooperation with the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), the Government of Gujarat and the National Institute for Wind Energy (NIWE), to look closely at the challenges and opportunities presented by offshore wind in India.

About the Report

The report was developed as a part of the FOWIND (Facilitating Offshore Wind in India) project led by GWEC. DNV GL is the lead author of this study.

About the project partners

The project partners bring a wealth of experience to the project. We are pleased to have the support and participation of the Gujarat Power Corporation Limited (GPCL) and India’s National Institute for Wind Energy (NIWE) and ReNew Power.

Global Wind Energy Council is the international trade association for the wind power industry. The members of GWEC represent over 1,500 companies, organisations and institutions in more than 90 countries, including manufacturers, developers, component suppliers, research institutes, national wind and renewables associations, electricity providers, finance and insurance companies. www.gwec.net

DNV GL now forms the world’s largest ship and offshore classification society, and a leading expert for the energy value chain including renewables and energy efficiency. It has also taken a position as one of the top three-certification bodies in the world. Operating in more than 100 countries, its 16,000 professionals are dedicated to helping customers make the world safer, smarter and greener. www.dnvgl.com

Gujarat Power Corporation Limited (Co-funder) has been playing the role of developer and catalyzer in the energy sector in the state of Gujarat. GPCL is increasing its involvement in power projects in renewable sector, as the State of Gujarat is concerned about the issues of pollution and global warming. Gujarat has over 3GW of installed onshore wind capacity currently. www.gpcl.gujarat.gov.in

Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy is a multi-disciplinary policy research organisation working in the areas of Energy, Infrastructure, Materials, Climate Adaptation and Security Studies. www.cstep.in

World Institute of Sustainable Energy (WISE) is a not-for-profit institute committed to the cause of promoting sustainable energy and sustainable development in India. www.wisein.org

ReNew Power Ventures Private Limited (Industry Partner) joined FOWIND as an industry partner. ReNew Power is a leading clean energy IPP with more than 3 GW of commissioned and under-construction clean energy assets, and a pipeline of close to 1.8 GW wind, solar and distributed solar projects in India. www.renewpower.in

National Institute of Wind Energy (NIWE) (Knowledge Partner) will support FOWIND efforts towards offshore wind feasibility assessments for potential offshore wind project development in the states of Gujarat & Tamil Nadu – with a special focus on wind resource validation. NIWE is an autonomous R&D institution under the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Government of India, established to serve as a technical focal point for orderly development of Wind Power deployment in India. www.niwe.res.in